Solid State Drive vs. Hard Drive
The world of computers brought us the Solid State Drive, or SSD several years ago, but solid state drives have only recently become available for the average consumer. Solid state drives are a type of memory storage that is quickly replacing hard disks. Some of the most commonly cited reasons why solid state drives are superior to hard disks are durability, energy, and speed. Let’s take a look at each of these reasons and see why a solid state drive may be the right type of memory storage for you.
Durability
The solid state drive has no moving parts, which makes it more durable than the magnetic hard drives. Hard platters tend to be rather fragile. Solid state drives are also impact resilient. They have the ability to withstand not only impact but also extreme temperatures and high altitudes. The durability will make the solid state drive rather useful for laptops and other mobile devices.
Energy Savings
There is no power draw from a solid state drive, allowing it to use less energy. Because of this, very little heat is generated from a solid state drive. This makes it ideal for small devices that are prone to overheating.
Speed
During a demo, the solid state drive was able to boot Windows Vista 20% faster than the standard hard drive. The speed of access comes from the fact that the solid state drive does not have to spin up the drive platter or move drive heads. Therefore, data can be accessed almost instantaneously.
Along with the three biggest advantages, a solid state drive also offers a quieter work area. Without moving parts, it is silent. It has twice the data density of a standard hard drive which could someday mean mobile devices could hold as much data as an average desktop PC. Solid state drives have less frequent failures because there are no moving parts, which mean a lower chance of lost data.
While the advantages certainly outweigh those of the standard drive, solid state drives are not yet widely used. Currently they can be found in limited numbers of laptops and desktops. The price has dropped considerably from the time the solid state drives were first introduced but some may still find the price too steep. As more companies step into development and distribution, giving consumers more access, the prices will begin to fall even more dramatically. Before long, solid state drives will become common-place and completely replace the hard drive.
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